


News from Vos

by Skywinder



Series: Missing Piece AU [4]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Implied Relationships, M/M, Pre-Earth Transformers, War Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-12
Updated: 2014-11-12
Packaged: 2018-02-24 19:32:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2593655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skywinder/pseuds/Skywinder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starscream learns of the first Cybertronian refugees and goes to find out what's been happening on Cybertron and learn what happened to Vos.  But his welcome is not exactly a warm one.</p><p>Takes place between chapters 5 & 6 of <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/890098">Missing Piece</a>, and some time prior to the opening of <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/2583077">Armistice</a>.</p><p>Part of NaNoWriMo 2014</p>
            </blockquote>





	News from Vos

**Author's Note:**

> Decided to write out the story of Starscream's encounter with the Neutral Seekers and what became his first role as a guide.

* * *

It was a pretty odd choice for a bunch of fliers to choose this place to hide, reflected Starscream as he walked through the maze.

The moon he was on was not fit for any kind of life as far as he could tell. Little more than a bunch of crags and mountains with the occasional plain, and an atmosphere that was paper thin, baking these same rocky crags during the period when they faced the sun. And what trails Starscream could find seemed to be winding, twisted paths that led nowhere

Yet if that Coranion back at Space Station Zeta 392-SLN was telling the truth, this moon was where the three Cybertronian ships they'd turned away from their world had gone to seek refuge.

Ships, that from the description the alien gave, contained _Seekers_.

Over the fifteen hundred vorns that had passed since the orn he'd been turned away from Cybertron, Starscream had begun to lose hope of ever learning exactly what had happened to his home and those he'd known there. Any news that had come out concerned Cybertron. And it hadn't been good. The Galactic Council had decided to investigate what the Nistrans had told them and had sent a ship with a team to speak with the Senate concerning the rumors that had come to their attention. The Senate had attempted to shoot them down and accused them of being spies for the Decepticons, though Starscream wasn't sure how the Pit they'd come up with that notion. Unless the Altihexian shipyard agent had reported his attempt to land, there was no other reason they should even believe that. The Galactic Council hadn't been pleased, from what he'd heard, but after a meeting, they'd decided to just keep watch on further developments. Then crews of others ships started reporting unprovoked attacks on them: merchant ships, shuttles that just wanted to stop over on either the world or one of Cybertron's moons and offered to give some good credits for doing so...Two other attempts to find out what was going on met with the same results as the first time.

A meeting was held and Cybertron went off the list of member planets. Starscream didn't have to be a genius to understand what that meant. And other planetary governments had understood it as well. Other planets had already started following Osysia's lead when it came to paying him when he answered the ads for missions, giving him less than what was offered. Other planets were laying down their own rules against Cybertronians coming to their worlds. And given that from what he'd been able to pick up that things weren't getting better on Cybertron, he had a bad feeling that things weren't going to get much better in the future in the universe at large. Right now it wasn't too bad, but Starscream knew that if whatever was going on back on his home planet didn't end soon, it could get a lot worse, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know just how much.

But up until now, there'd really been no first-hand reports of Cybertronians appearing outside of their homeworld. And Seekers, no less.

That news more than anything else had given Starscream cause for hope. Hope that he'd finally learn what had happened to Vos, not to mention get a better idea of what exactly was going on. 

He also had to admit he wanted to know how it was that ships had finally gotten off the planet and escaped the barricade the Senate had ordered.

That is, if he could find them...

His musings were interrupted by the sound of a thin, high-pitched sound. A moment later, a laser blast ricocheted off the wall, knocking off some rocks right over Starscream. With a curse, he activated his thrusters and transformed, taking to the sky, barely making it out of the way of the boulders before they hit the ground. Quickly, he activated his scanners, trying to determine where the shot came from.

 _Well, at least I know_ someone's _here_ , he thought grimly. And definitely not an organic. This atmosphere was too weak for even the smallest non-sentient to survive.

Just as he'd completed that thought, a laser clipped the edge of his left thruster.

With a screech, Starscream turned towards the closest cliff edge. This landing wasn't going to be fun, but if he had to go down, at least he'd go down on his own terms...

He came to a screeching stop on the bottom of his vehicle form, transforming with no small difficulty. Not a fun landing indeed, he thought ruefully. His back hurt and so did his left thruster. Fortunately, a visual examination showed it wasn't bad enough that he could allow the self-repair to deal with it, but he'd be here awhile.

"Don't move," a voice growled from behind him, and a moment later he felt something come up against the back of his head. Starscream froze. Just how distracted had he been?

He slowly began raising his hands in an attempt to show surrender.

"I said not to move!" the unknown figure snarled. 

For the first time, Starscream noted his assailant was speaking in Cybertronian. His intakes stilled. "May I at least speak? Or know why you're doing this?" he forced out, also in Cybertronian, trying to stay as calm as possible. Not an easy feat, he reflected, with what might very well be a blaster primed to blow his head off if he did something his captor didn't like.

And he cursed himself for being a fool. Of _course_ someone fleeing from a civil war was not just going to welcome an outsider with open arms. He'd let his excitement over the potential of getting news override his common sense. 

The tri-color just hoped he'd have the chance to convince this mech of his good intentions.

"Sure, you can speak," came the reply, a sarcastic edge to it. "You can tell me who you are and what you're doing here. Because last time I checked," the voice became lower, a bit more dangerous sounding, "There weren't any Cybertronians allowed to leave the planet until recently."

Starscream kept his gaze forward as he started to speak. "My designation is Starscream of the Windflare clan, eldest Creation of the Stormflash Trine. I left Cybertron sixty-five hundred vorns ago, and have been unable to return since. I am here because I heard of the refugees from Cybertron."

Silence followed his statement. Starscream still didn't move, uncertain what this portended.

A moment later he got his answer as suddenly, a sharp flash of pain jolted the left side of his head.

Then he knew no more.

* * *

Starscream awoke to the sound of voices. Keeping his optics off, he focused on what they were saying, curious about what was happening.

"I still don't see why you brought him back here, Silver. You should have left him out there," a deep voice snapped.

"Or at the very least, not betrayed where you were," came another voice, a somewhat higher-pitched one. A small part of his mind idly pondered that that voice sounded worse than his. "He likely would have left as soon as he realized there was no one around."

The third voice was that of the one who'd knocked him out. The one called "Silver" replied coolly, "Steelwind told me to have him brought back here when I comm'd him. Take it up with him if you have an issue. Besides," he went on, "aren't you the least bit curious to find out how this Seeker managed to be outside when Vos was attacked?"

They didn't answer. Starscream wasn't sure if they'd guessed he was awake and were now communicating internally, or if they just couldn't come up with an answer.

A klik later, the second speaker replied with a snort, "Fine. But if he causes a problem, it's on your head."

The only reply was a grunt from the third speaker.

The next thing Starscream heard was the sound of footsteps walking away from wherever he was. Slowly, he onlined his optics.

In front of him were electro-bars, and he seemed to have been propped up into a sitting position leaning forward. Apparently, they'd had some care for his scraped up back, he mused. From what he could see, he was alone.

He glanced around him. The walls were gun-metal gray, and a berth was against the back wall just a bit to his right.

Starscream frowned. Judging from what he'd heard, he'd found the other Seekers, and apparently those in charge were curious about him, which would explain why he was still alive. As for why he was knocked out, Starscream could only guess, but he supposed that it was likely the Seekers were trying not to be found. Understandable, if they'd been turned away by a world only to have an unknown Cybertronian show up, the tetrajet mused. For all they knew, it could be a trap of some kind.

Not to mention his frametype had always ever been mistrustful of outsiders to begin with, and Starscream would be the first to admit he may as well be one, given he'd been away from Vos for over six thousand vorns before its fall, and really hadn't visited at all that often since he'd first left the city-state far longer ago than that.

Still...It _had_ been his home once, and Starscream couldn't deny it hurt a bit to be treated like this, even if he could understand why.

Once more he was brought out of his musings, this time by the sound of returning footsteps. Starscream straightened himself as much as he could, trying to ignore the twinges of pain from his back. About a klik or two later, a large navy-colored Seeker with gold striping on his wings appeared in front of the bars. He just gazed quietly at Starscream for a moment or two with dark orange optics.

Finally, he spoke. "My name is Steelwind of clan Windstar, leader of the Neutral Vosian remnant. I suppose you're wondering what you are doing here."

Starscream raised a browridge and said wryly, "The thought had occurred to me."

A cold half-smile appeared on the other Seeker's face. "I had Quicksilver bring you here, since it was puzzling to myself and some of the others why and how one of Vos had managed to be outside of the city when it went down."

Starscream nodded grimly. He'd expected as much. "I see. I assume you wish me to tell my story to all of you? Or were you planning to relate my tale to the others?" He kept his tone as neutral as he could manage.

Steelwind responded as coolly as before. "My medic states your thruster should be finished repairing itself by next day cycle. After they have checked it to make sure, we will escort you to the plains outside the ship where you will be allowed to give your case."

"And after?"

Steelwind's expression shifted from cold to grim. "If we do not approve of what you say, we will knock you out and put you back where we found you. And suggest strongly that you leave us be from that point on."

"And if you do approve?" asked Starscream, having caught how the other Seeker had worded his reply.

"Then we will discuss future arrangements," the navy Seeker replied shortly.

Without another word, he turned and left the cell block.

After he'd left, Starscream managed to drag himself over to the berth and pull himself on until he was lying on his front. If he had to be in this cell, then like Pit was he recharging on the floor. He'd had more than enough of that from the missions he and Skyfire had been on.

Starscream folded his arms below his head and tried to drift off into recharge.

* * *

Steelwind had been as good as his word. The following morning cycle, the medic had been down to examine his thruster and pronounced it had healed enough to walk on, though he should probably keep as much weight off it as he could for now, so as not to aggravate it. He left Starscream a small amount of energon and left the cell.

A joor or two later, Starscream was escorted outside by a pair of guards.

Outside the ship, the tri-color took the chance to take a look around. It was perhaps the vastest plain he'd run across on this moon. A glance behind him showed four other ships lined up next to each other, transport models, he thought. In front of him was a crowd of Seekers. At the head of the crowd, was Steelwind.

Starscream's gaze raked across the crowd. The other Seekers' expressions (those he could see) were a varied mixture. Some seemed curious, some hostile and some seemed indifferent. But nowhere in the crowd did he see the familiar colors of his Creators, flight mates or siblings. He felt his Spark clench just a little.

He was broken from his thoughts by Steelwind's approach.

The other Seeker pulled up next to him, gave him a measured look, then turned back to the crowd and began to speak.

"Seekers of Vos! As you know, a day cycle ago, one of the perimeter guards, Quicksilver, discovered a lone Seeker within the canyon. Upon questioning him, he learned that this Seeker," and here, he turned and nodded his head towards Starscream, "had been away from Vos at the time of the attack by the Senate." A low grumbling started up among the crowd. "When he asked me for advice on what to do, I ordered him to bring the unknown mech here, so that we might hear him out as to how it was he was outside of Vos when the attack came, and why he is here now."

Again, Steelwind glanced at Starscream. With a nod in the other Seeker's direction, he stepped away, and motioned to the other guards to do so.

Starscream took a tentative step forward, again scanning the crowd. This time, the expressions were mostly hostile. 

Somewhere deep down, Starscream couldn't blame them. He'd been away and safe when Vos went down. These Seekers hadn't.

But he wouldn't let them get to him. He'd dealt with far worse than some cold glares in his life. He didn't back down to snobbish Altihexian shuttles and he wouldn't back down from his own frame-kin, either

With that thought in mind, Starscream stood as straight as his aching foot would allow, and hiked up his wings. 

Focusing his gaze sharply on the crowd, Starscream began to speak.

* * *

A few joors later, Starscream was sitting in front of Steelwind's desk in his office. He had leaned back in the chair, optics shuttered, feeling completely drained by the experience.

But all in all, it had gone better than he'd expected, he thought tiredly.

While there had been some Seekers who still seemed furious by his apparent abandonment of the city-state, most seemed to understand that he'd left out of grief and had never intended to stay away.

Still, there had been a few who'd still been upset by the whole thing...

_"If Vos meant so much to you," one had shouted out from the crowd, "why didn't you ever bother coming back?"_

_Starscream turned in the direction of the voice. Even now, the memory of that orn still hurt as he recalled it, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger at the thinly veiled accusation. "I did," he snapped, unable to keep the hurt out of his voice. "I headed back the first I heard of the news." He smiled bitterly now. "I was ordered by the agents at the shipyard to leave or they'd shoot me out of the sky."_

No one had questioned him after that, Starscream had mused. Sure, there still did seem to be some anger in some expressions, but by and large, it seemed his explanation about why he left and why he was looking for them had been satisfactory enough.

"Quite a tale," the other Seeker's voice broke into his thoughts, causing the tri-color to open his optics. The other Seeker was now gazing at him speculatively, no longer as hostile as before.

Starscream gave a small half-smile. "Every word was true," he responded quietly, crossing his arms in front of his chest now.

Steelwind nodded. "I can believe that," he said calmly. "It showed in your voice." He turned his chair so that he was facing the wall. For a few kliks, he said nothing, then he turned and gazed at Starscream, and now his exhaustion shone through.

"You gave us the answers we sought, so now I will give you the answers you seek," the other mech stated, his tone flat.

Starscream sat up straight now, and Steelwind turned so that he was now facing Starscream, and he folded his hands on the table.

"It started out a normal day cycle," he began. "Business as usual in Vos. Seekers going to and from their occupations, Sparklings and younglings in school, socializing...Nothing out of the ordinary. Just before the midday cycle was when it began..."

Steelwind went on to describe how the ships came out of nowhere, firing at any Seeker they could see. When the Seekers had flown into the buildings, the ships had started shooting at the buildings. Panic had reigned everywhere...

"By the time they got to the fourth ring was when the Defense Force finally was able to mobilize and we were able to drive away the attacking ships," he went on. "But by that time, the damage had been done. Half of Vos lay in ruins and a quarter of the population was deactivated. We never saw it coming, and for a time, we couldn't understand who had done it and why it had happened."

Starscream was by now staring in horror at the descriptions he'd been given. He remembered his long ago suspicions over what had caused the attack. _Please Primus_ , he prayed softly. _Please let me be wrong._ "Did...did you ever find out?" he managed to force out aloud.

Steelwind nodded sharply. "Eventually, we did. When we were finally able to get the newsfeeds up and running again, we learned that the Senate had attacked us because they'd learned that some Seekers in Vos were sympathetic to that gladiator in Kaon, Megatron, and his speeches. The majority decided it would be best to make sure that he got no air support from Vos at all."

A sardonic smile appeared on the navy Seeker's face. "It backfired on them, as you might imagine. Many Seeker survivors who'd had no sympathies for Megatron flocked en masse to Kaon along with those survivors who did have sympathies. Those of us who remained," he waved a hand around as if to demonstrate all the others, "were soon approached by one of his representatives, while we attempted to rebuild. He referred to himself as a Decepticon. He tried to convince us to join the rest to avenge our home. I won't deny we were tempted, but we refused. He wasn't pleased, but left. Soon we started receiving other representatives. And they weren't as...friendly," the navy tetrajet finished grimly.

Starscream had a bad feeling about that. "You were threatened?" he asked harshly.

Again, the sharp nod. 

Starscream felt his hands clench involuntarily. If he ever laid optics on this gladiator, this "Megatron"...He growled softly.

Shaking his head to focus, he met the other Seeker's optics. "What happened next?"

"We went and hid in the cliffs and crags around Vos. Sometimes a few of us would go back to tap the newsfeeds in an attempt to find out something, anything. Some of us even made an attempt to appeal to the Senate from what was left of the comm towers. All that happened was ships came and destroyed what was left of them. We spent nearly fifteen hundred vorns living like this, sneaking in and out, scavenging for whatever we could find.

"And during that time, Cybertron fell apart. After Vos, Tarn joined with them and Helex and Tesaurus started showing interest in their cause. As the cities started lining up behind the Decepticons, the Senate finally responded. Eight hundred vorns following Vos, Sentinel Prime sent some soldiers out and they managed to arrest Megatron and some of the others of his Decepticons. Just before their trial, the story went, the Senate was massacred and then Sentinel Prime was killed soon after, they say by Megatron's hand. It was never publicized who had killed the Senate. I don't know if anyone knew exactly who it was," Steelwind finished.

Starscream just sat quietly for a moment, absorbing what he'd been told. The story had not only confirmed the rumors, it had also told him a lot more that he hadn't known. And yet...

"There's more, isn't there?" he asked quietly after a few kliks.

Steelwind nodded. "A new Prime, Zeta, was nominated and a new Senate was formed. They began issuing conscriptions for an army. While I don't know exactly what happened, rumors started floating around that the new Prime went mad. He was reportedly killed in battle and a new Prime was nominated. He is called Optimus, from what I know."

He sighed and looked down at his desk. "Over time, the army Optimus Prime led became known as the Autobots, and both factions have taken symbols to denote their allegiance. City-states reportedly are being pressured to choose one side or the other. Neutrality was starting to become a risky option by the time we left.

"As for how we managed to get away," he said, glancing up again. "We had been discussing the possibility of leaving for some time. On a scavenging trip some time before we left, we found these ships remaining in the hangars of the Winglord's palace. We didn't know how they managed to escape destruction, but we weren't about to ignore the opportunity, figuring that with the original Senate's destruction, the edicts regarding space travel were likely being ignored. We spent time repairing them with what we could find around Vos." He left unsaid where some of the parts may have come from, but Starscream suspected he could guess all too well.

To be honest, he thought it morbid, but understandable, under the circumstances. "I see. I assume you've found out what's been happening in the universe at large since then," he said, guessing where the story was going.

Steelwind grimaced. "We have. Went straight to the Galactic Council only to learn that Cybertronians weren't welcome. But they were all too willing to take the information we gave them." The last part was said with more than just a little bitterness. "And the planet we were chased away from, that is the third one now," he finished. He looked at Starscream now. "How do you handle it?" he said wearily.

"Not well," Starscream admitted ruefully. 

There was silence for about a breem, then Steelwind leaned back in his seat and moved his hands to his lap. He met Starscream's optics and spoke once more. "I did a check of the clan and Trine names we have on record after you were brought here. The names of the Stormflash Trine are not on the list, nor is anyone from the Windflare clan among us." There was genuine sympathy in his voice.

Starscream now leaned back in his seat and shuttered his own optics. He'd expected as much, having not seen their colors out there, but still...He nodded numbly in acknowledgment.

"Thank you," he whispered.

A part of him wanted to ask about his former companions, but he suspected the answer would be the same, given he'd not seen their colors, either, nor heard any shouts of recognition. 

He knew more than he had before, except for the news that meant most to him.

"If there is anything else we can do...," the other Seeker began.

Starscream shook his head, onlining his optics as he did. "No, there isn't. But perhaps I can do something for you." As the other Seeker's expression shifted towards curiosity, the tri-color continued. "As I stated earlier, my former partner and I were explorers. We documented many different worlds in our time out in the universe. I owe you for the information you've given me, and I would like this to be a way of paying that debt."

"You don't have to...," Steelwind's words were cut off by Starscream raising his hand. "Please, let me do this," he said wearily. "You and I both know it's not going to get much better out there, and it would be best for all of you to have a place to settle, especially should there be young ones sometime. It wouldn't be good for them to never see the sky.

"Besides," he finished, "you may not have given me everything I wish to know, but you have given me more than I expected. It would be unfair to you and the others if I weren't able to give something back."

Steelwind seemed a bit startled by the declaration, but then he grinned and laughed briefly. "I can see I won't be able to talk you out of this," he stated, amusement in his tone. "Very well. I shall make the announcement to the others of your offer and will have someone escort you back to your own ship. From there, you can bring your ship closer and we will discuss possible places to go."

Starscream nodded once in response to the other Seeker's words.

Both rose from their seats and moved toward the door, Starscream following just slightly behind Steelwind.

It was indeed less than he needed and both more than he bargained for, this information he'd received, the tri-color pondered as he was led through the corridors of the ship. He may not have any information about his kin or companions, but at least now he knew what was going on.

Even so, he couldn't help but wonder...

_Will I see them again, and if so, when?_

This thought haunted Starscream the rest of the journey back to his ship.

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT (04/15/15): In light of the ebooks site attempting to post and profit from many of the authors of this site (including myself), I wanted to ask my readers to let me know if they see any stories of mine at another site besides Fanfiction.net, TF Lexicon & Ao3. I have never posted at any other beyond those 3 sites, either under Skywinder (Lexicon/Ao3) or Starfire201 (FFnet).


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